The National Network For Fair Trade in India

FTFI, supports #IWearHandloom Campaign through a social media campaign with the members

MoT launched a Social Media Campaign – IwearHandloom. FTF-I joined the campaign by inviting the members to join hands. We started our the campaign on the National Handloom Day on 07th August, 2016, which ran till 18th August, 2017 on our facebook page. We invited all our members to share images of the weavers or people who wear and support handloom, as an expression to show their commitment towards handloom.We are glad to receive support from our members. Members and individuals, who participated, are Aagor Daagra Afad from Assam, Uma Prajapati from Upasana, Auroville, Roopa Mehta, Sasha, Kolkata, Sadhna Handicrafts from Udaipur, Moon Sharma and team from TARA Projects, Delhi, Jabeen Jambughodawala, Sahaj from Dahod Gujarat, Eco Tasar Pvt Ltd from Delhi, our asssociate member Renu Sharma and team Ethiq Desi. Our Partner Ethniq Desi also pitched in by promoting Handlooms extensively on their website. Their entire staff showed their solidarity by wearing Handlooms and sharing the campaign widely over facebook.

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We would like to convey a special thanks to Ms Sudeshna MitraWoodhatch, Secretary FTFI, for supporting this campaign by sharing her images wearing different handlooms.

Sudeshna MitraWoodhatch, Secretary, FTFI

We invited all our members to share images of the weavers or people who wear and support handloom, as an expression to show their commitment towards handloom.

FTFI recognises the importance of aligning with Government Campaigns to promote the work of our members. As more than 70% of our members working in the Textiles sector, we launched a social media campaign in line with the IWearHandloom campaign of the Ministry of Textiles. Recognising the fact and need to join hands with such initiatives we launched this campaign. The campaign was started on the National Handloom Day as on 07th August, 2016, which ran till 18th August, 2017 on our facebook page.

We uploaded regular images from our members, describing about the particular handloom and highlighted people who regularly wear and support handloom.

Background: As you know, Smt Smriti Irani, Minister of Textiles has launched the #IWearHandloom campaign to promote and support the handloom work, which is going to directly affect the life of weavers across the nation.

We are happy to see Indian Government’s constant efforts towards popularising the handloom work. The launch of #IWearHandloom campaign on social network is attracting lot of people to extend their support for the community which weaves the diverse fabric of our nation’s rich heritage.

National Handloom day was formally notified in the Gazatte of Indian Government, with the objective to generate awareness about the importance of handloom industry and its contribution to the socio economic development of the country in general and to promote handlooms. The date August 7 has been chosen due to its special significance in India’s freedom struggle; it was on this day in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was formally launched at a massive meeting in the Calcutta Town Hall. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes. The Government of India has declared August 7 as National Handloom Day every year, in memory of that and no wonder it coincides with the friendship day as today we give a helping hand to the Handloom people.

The textile industry in India traditionally, after agriculture, is the only industry that has generated huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labor in textiles. The textile industry continues to be the second largest employment generating sector in India. It offers direct employment to over 35 million in the country.

Fair Trade is already making its mark by assuring good working conditions and fair wages for the people engaged in the handloom and handicraft activities. We ensure, no one is playing with the future of the kids and no child labour related activity is involved in of FTFI Member organisation.

FTFI is grateful and give our heartfelt thanks to the members and individual for their support for the weavers of India and we plan to take it forward for the better condition of the weavers.